27% of U.S. iPhones "Unlocked" for Other Networks

An analyst has estimated that more than a quarter of U.S. consumers who purchased Apple's iPhone last year "unlocked" the device for use on networks other than AT&T's. An analysis of Apple and AT&T sales figures by Bernstein Research analyst Toni Saccohaghi found about 1.45 million iPhones that had been sold in 2007, but not activated on AT&T's network. Some 480,000 of these are thought to be in AT&T's store inventory, while the other one million are believed to have been unlocked for use on other networks -- representing 27% of all U.S. iPhone sales. "Besides the financial implications, we believe the prevalence of unlocked iPhones presents a significant strategic dilemma to Apple," Sacconaghi posited.
http://www.dmwmedia.com/news/2008/01/29/report%3A-27%25-u.s.-iphones-%2526quot%3Bunlocked%2526quot%3B-other-networks